Opposite Worlds
by steph84
Summary: Lily likes James. James likes Lily. So why is Lily dating Remus?
1. Vanity

"James Potter, I am going to kill you!"  
  
Seventeen-year old Kaylen Landry's voice rang out over the Hogwarts grounds, casing several dancing teenagers to stop and take notice. Kaylen's hair and clothing were soaked and the pitcher of water, which had been sitting on the refreshments table only moments before, was levitating over her head.  
  
James Potter, along with his friends Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew were laughing hysterically. Their other friend, Remus Lupin, a school Prefect, stood looking horrified. It appeared that half of him wanted to go and help Kaylen, yet the other half wanted to veer away and laugh with his friends.  
  
Lily Evans, seething at the prospect of seeing James Potter's face again, joined her friend by the table and began helping her to dry her clothing. "Forget it," she muttered, pulling out her wand. "Desiccate," she muttered and Kaylen's clothes and hair dried immediately.  
  
Giving her best friend a grateful look, Kaylen glared at James, who had stopped laughing the instant he had seen Lily appear. Now he looked almost guilty. "Serves you right," she hissed at him before she fled to the other side of the grounds, leaving Lily alone with the four boys.  
  
Lily turned to walk away, but James' voice held her back. "All right, Evans?"  
  
She sighed. The last thing she wanted to do during the Halloween festival was listen to James Potter's banter. Very rarely was it nice enough outside to have the Halloween festival outdoors, but this year proved to be wonderful. There was not a cloud in the sky to ruin Lily's perfect Halloween evening at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Yet, here she was, stuck facing her worst enemy, James Potter and his clan.  
  
"What do you want, Potter?" she snarled, turning around so quickly that she startled James and he almost fell over. "I have better things to do than to stand here with you."  
  
"Just saying hi," he replied quickly. Motioning to his friends, they left her presence and walked across the grounds, terrorizing first years along the way. Lily shook her head violently and met Kaylen on the other side of the lawn.  
  
"Thanks for saving me back there," Kaylen said, handing Lily a glass of Butterbeer. "I was going to kill him."  
  
"I'm so sick of that group," Lily spat, taking a long drink out of her glass. She finished it in a few gulps. "They walk around like they own the school, hexing and cursing everyone they please. And James thinks he's a gift to the world, when in reality, he's a massive headache. It's sick."  
  
Kaylen handed Lily another glass of Butterbeer and she downed it in another few swallows. "Be careful," Kaylen warned her friend. "That stuff is mild, but when you drink too much, it can be potent."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Lily mumbled, filling her glass again. She watched as James gave a pair of elf ears to a second-year and Professor Dumbledore reprimand him gently. "Dumbledore should expel them," she thought aloud.  
  
"I thought you were okay with Lupin."  
  
Lily smiled faintly. "I am. Remus is a good friend. He's loyal, he's patient, he's trustworthy and he's smart."  
  
"You just described a dog," Kaylen informed Lily and the two girls burst out laughing. Their conversation was lost, however, when another group of seventh-years came over to join and before long, Lily had gone through more Butterbeer than the rest of her group together.  
  
"Be careful, Lil," Kaylen warned as Lily wandered dangerously close to the stage. Professor Dumbledore had materialized a stage out of thin air where the group Devine was playing one of their latest hits.  
  
Almost blinded by the drinks, Lily stumbled even closer. "How about some karaoke?" she slurred, climbing onto the stage. Waiting patiently for the song to end, she began to cheer when it did. "Yea!" she cried, grabbing the Muggle microphone out of the singer's hand. "Aren't they great?" she asked the crowd. "Now, I would like to sing a song myself."  
  
Kaylen relaxed, assuming that the singer would protest, but her heart began to race again when the singer cheered. "Why won't they do something?" Kaylen whispered to Brianna Poltin, another seventh-year. "Dumbledore's just sitting there!"  
  
Up on stage, Lily cleared her throat. She turned to the bandleader and whispered something. Moments later, the music struck up and Lily made a dedication. "James Potter, this one is for you.  
  
You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht  
  
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye  
  
Your scarf it was apricot  
  
You had one eye on the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte  
  
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner  
  
They'd be your partner, and  
  
You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you  
  
You're so vain, I'll bet you think this song is about you  
  
Don't you? Don't you?"  
  
It went on for several moments, in which Kaylen buried her face in her hands, until Professor Dumbledore cleared his own throat and stepped up to the stage. "Thank you, Miss Evans."  
  
"I'm not done yet, Professor."  
  
"Yes you are," he said, smiling gently and prying the microphone out of her hands. "Go sit down," he told her. Lily left the stage, but was far from the end of her partying. She grabbed another glass of Butterbeer and began serenading Remus Lupin with a eccentric rendition of "You Are So Beautiful".  
  
The Halloween feast began to disperse close to midnight as students made their way back to their dormitories. Kaylen was trying to persuade Lily to get some rest, but Lily was determined to continue discussing her hatred for James Potter.  
  
"It makes me physically sick," she garbled, clasping her hands to the side of her chair so no one could pry her off. "He's so conceited! He thinks that everything's about him and all the girls want him, when really, he's no better than the rest of us."  
  
"I know, Lily. Now would you please go to bed?" Kaylen pleaded.  
  
"I'm not done," Lily answered. "Now Sirius Black could be a real gentleman if he would only grow up a little. Peter's a cute guy, if he'd quit hanging around with such losers. But Remus Lupin is the winner of that group." She began to snicker quietly. "And that's saying something."  
  
"Lily, now you're just being nasty. Go get some sleep and you can continue to complain in the morning." Kaylen was beginning to get desperate when something happened that made things worse.  
  
"Could you get any drunker, Evans?" The voice of Severus Snape floated through the air. Spinning on her heels, Kaylen found herself almost face to face with the greasy-haired boy.  
  
"Not now, Snape."  
  
"Seriously, Landry, do you really think that Potter and Evans aren't destined to be together?" An evil smile began to spread across his face. "They're perfect for each other. He's a jerk, she's a snob; could there be a more perfect pair?"  
  
BAM. The fist came out of nowhere and Kaylen had precious few seconds to duck out of the way. Lily barrelled at Snape, cursing the whole way. "You slime, you know James Potter and I are nothing alike!" She attacked him, both physically and verbally, pushing him to the ground and sitting on him, slapping his face. "You're wrong!" she kept yelling as she struck him. "We're nothing alike and you damn well know it!"  
  
"Miss Evans!" A strong pair of hands pulled Lily to her feet and Dumbledore's glasses shone in the moonlight in front of them. "I would expect better behaviour from someone like you."  
  
Behind them, others were helping Snape to his feet. His nose was bleeding and blades of grass were stuck to the back of his robes. He glared at Lily before stalking away. Kaylen felt a great need to run after him and beat him up herself, but she knew better.  
  
"She's been drinking too much Butterbeer, sir," she said and Dumbledore looked her way, appearing that he had forgotten she was there.  
  
"I know, Miss Landry," he said, his tone considerably lighter. "Take her up to the dorms and in the morning, I will deal with her."  
  
"Come on," she muttered to Lily, her eyes downcast. She grabbed her friend's arm and Lily willingly followed her to the castle. 


	2. Friends?

If Lily thought she had felt awful when she awoke the next morning, it was nothing compared to the feeling when she entered her first class of the day. She had skipped breakfast to avoid the prying eyes of her fellow classmates, but they made up for her lack of appearance when she walked into her Transfiguration class that morning.  
  
"Way to go, Evans!" called Sirius from the corner. He stood on his chair and began applauding loudly. "What a performance!"  
  
"Hey Lily, my parents are having a party next summer and they want to know if you can entertain!" called Bruce McKinnon, a heavily built boy.  
  
"You were awesome last night," James said, coming closer to her. "I especially liked the dedication you made to me; you're truly talented."  
  
"Shut up," Lily hissed, not having a clue what they were talking about. She quickly made her way to her own seat where the feeling of sickness only darkened as Kaylen and Brianna told her all about her escapades that night.  
  
"The best part was when you sang "You Are So Beautiful," to Lupin," Brianna said gleefully. "That really got a laugh out of everyone!"  
  
"Oh no," Lily moaned, looking quickly at Remus, who was sitting rather still in his seat. "You have got to be joking me!"  
  
"Nope," Brianna replied, receiving a dirty look from Kaylen.  
  
"It could have been worse," Kaylen said, helpfully.  
  
"Yeah? How so?"  
  
"You could have danced, too."  
  
Much to Lily's surprise, not much was said about the Halloween feast the rest of the day. Many students would whisper quietly when she passed by, but she didn't mind, as long as they didn't prod her with silly questions. Determined to make her friends forget about the whole ordeal, she snapped when they continued to discuss the party after lessons.  
  
"What is with you?" Kaylen asked as Lily got up and began pacing the room.  
  
"Yeah," joined Brianna. She sat down heavily on the foot of Lily's bed. "It's not like we were discussing your dedication to James Potter." She began to laugh, but stopped at the look on Lily's face.  
  
"Why don't you shut up?" Lily asked, leaning her aching head against the wall. She had contemplated going to the hospital wing to get something for the headache, but didn't want to risk being lectured by Madam Pomfrey, the Hogwarts matron. "I still can't stand James. But you guys want to know the funny thing?" She leaned her head in closer towards her friends. "I don't even think I know the full song 'You're So Vain'." She collapsed into a fit of giggles with her friends, glad to be feeling almost back to normal.  
  
As the rest of the school began to forget about Halloween and concentrate on Christmas, one person seemed to dwell on the prospect of Lily's childish behaviour. Remus Lupin usually smiled at Lily in the hallways or during mealtimes, but recently, he had been acting odd around her. No more secretive grins were exchanged, nor were friendly greetings. It hurt Lily to see how much she had embarrassed her friend and she knew that sooner or later, she would have to talk to him about it.  
  
"You should really do it soon," Kaylen whispered one afternoon in the library. Lily was staring at Remus with a hungering look. She craved to hear him say hello in the sweet voice that he used around her, but she knew if she didn't apologize for the way she had behaved that evening, she would never hear from him again.  
  
"I'm going," she said, pushing her chair back. But before she could even more out from behind the table, James, Sirius and Peter joined Remus at his table across the library. Flopping back down hard in her chair, Lily said, "No, I'm not."  
  
"Just go when they leave," Kaylen urged, but much to Lily's disappointment, Remus joined his friends when they left. He glanced in the girls' direction as he walked out the door and Lily looked away quickly. "Do you do that every time?" Kaylen asked her blushing friend.  
  
"Only since Halloween," Lily replied.  
  
Lily had several opportunities to talk to Remus in the following days, but she found herself shying away from him every time he came near. Once he smiled vaguely at her, but it was nothing compared to the grins she received before. "I've had it," she claimed one day during Potions. Standing up, she marched over to where the four boys were standing over their smoking blue mixture, which was supposed to be a brilliant green.  
  
"Remus, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked, ignoring the glances of Remus' friends.  
  
"Sure," he said, facing her calmly.  
  
Looking around, Lily replied, "How about out in the corridor?" She motioned up to the front of the room. "Professor Clark doesn't seem to really be paying attention."  
  
"Does he ever?" James whispered and Sirius laughed out loud. "Sorry," he said when Remus gave him a withering glance.  
"Let's go," Remus said, holding his arm out for Lily to go first. As she headed for the doorway, she gave the thumbs up to Kaylen, who was watching intently. Kaylen returned the signal and continued to study her textbook to see where they had gone wrong with the potion.  
  
"I want to apologize for the Halloween feast," Lily said quickly as soon as the door shut. She found it hard to look Remus in the face. "I was way out of line and I shouldn't have done anything and I'm really sorry and I hope that you can forgive me because I don't want to lose our friendship," she added in one long breath. Wincing, she looked up.  
  
Remus was smiling gently. "There's no need to apologize," he said softly. "You didn't do anything wrong."  
  
"Then why have you been acting so weird around me?"  
  
It was Remus' turn to look uncomfortable. "That's not connected to the Halloween feast," he said, unable to look her in the eye. "That's something entirely different."  
  
Lily's curiosity was hooked. "What is it?" she pried.  
  
"Nothing that would interest you," Remus replied, shaking his head. "We should go back in. Professor Clark is old and feeble but I think eventually he'll clue in that we're not where we're supposed to be." Before Lily could reply, Remus threw open the classroom door and held it long enough for her to hold it open for herself. He practically ran back to his seat, ignoring the smirks from his friends.  
  
Flopping in her chair beside Kaylen, Lily felt confused. "What happened?" Kaylen asked excitedly.  
  
"He wasn't mad at me," Lily said.  
  
"And?"  
  
"And nothing." She looked up at her friend. "I asked him why he'd been acting so weird and he started blabbering about something and wouldn't answer me directly. Then we came back in."  
  
A slow smile spread across Kaylen's face. "I think I know why," she said in a singsong type of voice. She nodded her head in the direction of Remus' group. Following her gaze, Lily saw the boys poking Remus, laughing quietly.  
  
"Why?" Lily asked, turning back to Kaylen.  
  
"Oh, Lily, isn't it obvious?" she cried, throwing her hands up, almost knocking the cauldron over. "He likes you!"  
  
"Of course he does," Lily replied, looking back at Remus. "He's my friend."  
  
"I mean as more than a friend!"  
  
"Oh," Lily said quietly before it really clicked what Kaylen was saying. "Oh!" He does not, Kaylen, you're making that up!"  
  
"Am I?" Kaylen asked, still smiling. "Then why is he acting strange around you? Why won't he look you in the eye? Why did he run from you when you asked why he had been acting strangely?"  
  
"I embarrassed him on Halloween," Lily replied, not entirely convincing herself. "He can't look me in the eye for that reason. And he's acting strange for the same reason."  
  
"Whatever," Kaylen replied, turning back to her textbook. "But in time, you'll see I'm right." 


	3. Troubled Waters

Lily didn't give much more thought to Kaylen's predictions about Remus. She was just happy to have her furtive grins and cheerful greetings back. However, she couldn't help but let Kaylen's words float across her mind every time she smiled and said hello back to him. "He likes you!" rang in her ears whenever she set eyes on him and she couldn't help but wonder if she liked him back.  
  
Christmas was approaching rapidly and almost the entire school had forgotten, or at least given up on trying to bug Lily, about her little fiasco during the Halloween festival. The most recently discussed topic around the school was how James Potter went to hex a third-year student and missed, hitting Professor Clark instead. Maybe it was none of her business, but Lily felt that the horns rather made Professor Clark look less like a grumpy, elderly man.  
  
"Have you given any more thought to what I said?" Kaylen asked as the two girls strung Christmas decorations up over their beds in the dorm.  
  
"About what?" Lily replied, biting a string of garland while she struggled for her wand.  
  
"About Remus."  
  
Lily dropped both the garland and her wand. "Yes, and I think you're insane."  
  
"Why? Seriously, Lily, if you would open your eyes, you would see that a really great guy likes you. Not to mention the fact that he's extremely good looking."  
  
Lily dropped her arms to her sides. "I know that, Kaylen. If you like him so much, why don't you go out with him?"  
  
"Because he likes you."  
  
Lily growled slightly. "Forget it. Remus Lupin and I are just friends. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go meet him in the library." Ignoring Kaylen's snorts of laughter, she buried the box of Christmas decorations under her bed and grabbed her Transfiguration books.  
  
Remus was one of the best students in their year at Transfiguration and Lily was more of a Charms girl. She liked Transfiguration; she just didn't understand the technicalities of it. Remus had offered to tutor her a few times a week until she got the hang of the subject. He was sitting at their regular table in the library when she arrived, already going over some notes.  
  
"Sorry I'm late," she said, sliding into the chair across from him. "Kaylen and I were hanging decorations up in our room."  
  
"You're not late," he said, looking up from his books and smiling. "I just decided to get in some extra study time. I could use it right about now."  
  
"Why? What's going on?" Lily asked, opening her books.  
  
"Just a lot going on in my life right now," Remus replied, looking rather distant. "There's been a lot on my mind these past few weeks."  
  
"I know the feeling," Lily replied absentmindedly. She began searching through her notes, not noticing that Remus was staring at her. When she looked up, he had turned back to his books. Sensing that something was going on, she wished that he would just come out and tell her because she hated all the sneaking around.  
  
"Where did we leave off last time?" he asked, flipping through his notes.  
  
"You're asking me?" Lily asked incredulously. "I don't even understand the subject; how am I supposed to remember where we left off?"  
  
Remus stopped looking through his notes and smiled softly at Lily. Immediately her heart began to race. "Would you like to go out one night?" he asked her.  
  
"Um, I guess so," she replied, her mind reeling.  
  
"Good," he said, going back to his notes. "Maybe we can go together for the next Hogsmeade trip."  
  
It was on the tip of Lily's tongue to tell him that she had already made plans to go with Kaylen, but she dashed those thoughts and enjoyed the rest of their study session, wondering how Remus could seem so calm. Lily was ready to burst. When the session was over, Lily bid Remus a quick goodbye, promising to make plans with him soon on the next trip to Hogsmeade, and hurried back to her dorm where Kaylen was dancing around the room with Brianna, Christmas music blaring from invisible speakers on the wall.  
  
"He asked me out!" Lily cried, throwing herself down on her bed. She buried her face in her pillow and stifled a cry of happiness. She felt two weights pounce on the bed beside her and heard Kaylen's excited cries.  
  
"I knew it! I knew he liked you!" she exclaimed, shaking Lily's arm. "What exactly did he say? What did you say?"  
  
"He said would I like to go out with him one night and I said um, I guess so," Lily relived. "And that was it. He said maybe we could get together on the next trip to Hogsmeade. I was going to tell him that you and I already had plans," she said hurriedly to Kaylen, "but I knew that you'd get mad at me."  
  
"You're right, I would!" Kaylen replied, shoving Lily slightly. "You go with Remus! I can't wait to see you two together; you're going to be such a cute couple!" Kaylen began to laugh.  
  
"Oh, no," Lily replied, sitting up, almost knocking over Kaylen. "You two are not going to be there with us."  
  
"Of course we're not," Brianna replied soothingly. "We'll just be spying on you two from afar." She exchanged high fives with Kaylen over Lily.  
  
"That's stalking, you know," Lily said.  
  
"Not if you don't get caught," Kaylen replied, tossing a pillow at Lily. "Don't worry; we'll stay out of view. Now, when is the next Hogsmeade trip?"  
  
The next trip to the village was scheduled to be one week before Christmas. Lily spent much of the time before that preparing for her big date. She pondered over clothing and makeup with Brianna and Kaylen, trying to decide on one outfit. As the date of the trip loomed closer, Lily found herself being shot down more and more by James Potter. Instead of the kidding comments he always threw her way, she found herself the victim of cruel and heartless slanders being tossed her way.  
  
"What is the matter with him?" she asked Remus one afternoon in the library. "He always insults me but it's always been in a kidding matter. Now he's being downright hurtful and rude."  
  
"Don't worry; he's mad at me, too," Remus replied darkly.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Better not to know," Remus said, sitting up straighter and smiling. "Just don't worry. James is a big baby when he doesn't get his way and he'll get over it." He began to go over his notes again, leaving Lily in complete and utter confusion. What did James want to be his way? Why was he so upset? Why was he so angry towards the two of them? Did it have something to do with Remus asking her out? 


	4. The Date

The morning of the Hogsmeade trip, Lily got up early to dress and get ready. When she got back from her shower, the other girls were rising slowly, complaining about the early mornings.  
  
"The least they could do is let us leave when we want to leave," Kaylen grumbled, crawling out of bed and leaning against it from the floor. "That would make me so much happier."  
  
"You are so lazy!" Lily cried playfully.  
  
"You're just happy because you and Mr. Right are going out today," Brianna grumbled from the floor on the other side of her bed. Lily could just see the top of her head.  
  
"You're right I'm happy," Lily replied honestly. "But I don't know if he's Mr. Right."  
  
"Who else would be?" Kaylen asked. "James Potter?" She let out a deep, throaty laugh that was unlike her. "Not a chance."  
  
Lily didn't answer. Her mind had scanned back to the conversation she and Remus had the day before about James always wanting things to be his way. Why did it seem so important to her? Shaking her head, she began to dress in the outfit that she had finally decided on the night before.  
  
An hour later, the girls were exiting their common room, feeling a little more refreshed and awake. "Where did you arrange to meet Remus?" Kaylen asked, checking to make sure that she had her purse.  
  
"In Hogsmeade at the bottom of the hill," Lily replied. "He thought it would be, um, weird if we met at school and went." In all honesty, Lily had absolutely no idea why Remus was so against meeting at the school, but she didn't press the matter. Sensing that it had something to do with James Potter, she accepted the idea easily.  
  
It was rather warm outside for a December day. Brianna was in the middle of telling Kaylen and Lily what she wanted to buy for her family for Christmas when a flurry of powdery snow hit them from behind. Spinning around, the caught James Potter lurking behind them.  
  
"You slime!" Kaylen yelled, hurling a volley of curses and insults at him. "You don't really have a reason to live! You're a lowdown, inconsiderate aggravation to every living creature!"  
  
"Good use of vocabulary!" James cried, rushing past her. He stopped in front of Lily, causing her quick stride to be halted. "In a hurry to meet your boyfriend?" he asked, his eyes steely cold.  
Not used to seeing him without his friends backing him up, Lily felt somewhat braver in front of him. "No," she said, holding her head high. "Just in a hurry to get away from your darling face." On a second thought, she added, "I don't know what it matters to you anyway."  
  
"Oh, nothing," James replied, his face as hard as stone. "Nothing at all. Have fun on your little romp today." He tossed a pile of soft snow in her face and fled before she could stop sputtering the snowflakes out of her mouth.  
  
"He's such a jerk," Brianna snarled as she watched his departing figure. She handed Lily a tissue from her coat pocket to wipe the melting snow off of her face. "And what's up with you two? He's always been a jerk to you, but never in this manner."  
  
"Yeah, Lil, what's up?" Kaylen was staring at her friend intently. "Is he jealous or something that Remus got to you first?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, shoving the damp tissue into her own coat pocket. "Why would he be jealous?"  
  
Kaylen and Brianna shared knowing glances. "What?" Lily repeated.  
  
"We overheard Sirius and Peter talking," Kaylen admitted guiltily.  
  
"More like we heard them talking and stopped to listen," Brianna piped up, receiving a dirty look from Kaylen.  
  
"Anyway, the story is that James has liked you for a long time," Kaylen continued. "Apparently Remus knew that, but Remus liked you, too. Since you and he were already good friends, Remus asked you out, not to anger James, but because he sincerely liked you, too." Kaylen looked almost apologetic at this explanation.  
  
"Black and Pettigrew have been discussing this?" Lily asked.  
  
Brianna nodded. "Ellen Handy and Ryan Reed told us that James got so mad at Remus that he tried to fight him." She shuddered. "I wouldn't want to fight with James Potter; he curses everything that stands still long enough."  
  
Lily was shaking with rage. The fact that everyone else in their year seemed to know about this while she was kept in the dark was almost too much for her. "How come no one told me?" she cried out, halting in her steps. "I'm involved in this; why didn't anyone tell me?"  
  
"I'm sorry!" Kaylen cried. "But we just heard Sirius and Peter talking about it a few days ago. I didn't really want to tell you before your date with Remus. I didn't want to ruin it for you."  
  
A bit of Lily's anger melted at these words and she softened. "Look, from now on, anything involving me, you guys have to tell me. Don't worry about ruining my time with anyone; I want to know everything that people are saying about me."  
  
"Technically, it's not really about you," Brianna offered helpfully. "It deals more with the Marauders than you."  
  
"The who?" Lily and Kaylen replied in unison.  
  
Brianna rolled her eyes. "I forgot! I was talking to Peter Pettigrew in Charms a few weeks ago! He let it slip that he, Sirius Black, James Potter and Remus Lupin have been calling themselves the Marauders ever since they met and became friends."  
  
It was Lily's turn to roll her eyes. Boys often let things 'slip' when they talked to Brianna. She called it 'a gift'. "What exactly is a Marauder?" she asked, resuming her brisk steps towards the village.  
  
"Troublemakers, prowlers," Brianna replied. "I thought it was kind of cute. Apparently they get into all kinds of trouble."  
  
"I suppose Peter let that slip, too?" Kaylen asked bitterly.  
  
"No, that one he told me voluntarily."  
  
The village appeared in front of them and all conversations and squabbles were forgotten. Hogsmeade always looked so magical in the wintertime, blanketed in white, glistening snow. The shop windows always looked so inviting that Lily felt the strong urge to visit every single one of them. Glancing at her wristwatch, she sighed.  
  
"I better go meet Remus," she said, trudging through the snow towards the springtime grassy hill. "I'll meet you two back at Hogwarts at seven tonight."  
  
"Planning to be with him all that time?" Brianna cracked and Lily just waved a hand to acknowledge that she heard Brianna's comment. She marched through the snow, furious with herself for even thinking of asking Remus about James' crush on her. It was a bitter internal struggle with the decision, but finally she ruled against it, thinking that it could really sour the mood if she brought up the subject of another boy on their first date.  
  
As promised, Remus was waiting at the bottom of the hill for her. "Miss Evans," he greeted, dipping into a silly bow. Lily giggled. "Where would you like to go?" he asked, taking her arm.  
  
Lily looked up the hill, shielding her eyes with her free hand from the bright sunlight reflecting off the snow. "How about there?"  
  
"The shack?" Remus replied and unless Lily's ears were deceiving her, she detected a hint of panic in his voice. "Why do you want to go to the shack?"  
  
"Because it's interesting," she replied, pulling closer to him. "Apparently, it's haunted. People say they can hear things from up there late at night."  
  
"Where did you hear that from?"  
  
Lily shrugged. "People."  
  
Remus nodded, seeming eager to change the subject. "How about we go get a drink in the Three Broomsticks? I'm dying of thirst." When Lily agreed, he led her to the tavern doorway, pulling it open and ushering her inside. Pulling the chair out for her, Remus asked if she wanted a glass of Butterbeer.  
  
"I don't think that's a good idea," Lily replied, her stomach turning at the mention of it. "I really don't think that my mindset agrees with Butterbeer. A glass of water will be just fine, thanks."  
  
Remus laughed and left for the bar. Lily caught sight of her two friends in the corner of the tavern and tried to wave to them, but they seemed to be caught up in a frenzied conversation. Not wanting to get involved with the squabbling, she decided to keep to herself. She also noticed Peter Pettigrew and Sirius Black in the other corner of the tavern, but unlike Brianna and Kaylen, the boys waved cheerfully and held their glasses up in the air.  
  
"Where's James?" Lily mouthed towards Sirius and after three tries, he caught on to what she was saying. He shrugged, taking another swig from his mug. "Don't know," he mouthed back.  
  
"Here you go." Remus appeared behind her and set a glass of water down in front of her. "I feel bad that all you want is water; are you sure you don't want anything to eat?" He sat down in the chair across from her, blocking her view of Sirius and Peter.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks," she said, smiling and taking a drink from the glass. "I've only ever been in here once or twice before," she said, gesturing around. "I try to avoid these places with my friends."  
  
"Why?" Remus asked, taking a drink from his own mug of Butterbeer. "You don't like crowds?"  
  
"Not so much that as my friends are a little outrageous," Lily answered. "Kaylen, not so much, but Brianna's a handful. She's loud and opinionated and will argue with anyone that can hold their own. She's not so wonderful to have in a crowd full of talkative people."  
  
Remus laughed. "She should talk to James. The two of them would get along wonderfully."  
  
The comment was meant as a joke, but there was a sudden lull in the conversation as both of their minds drifted to James. Wondering where he could be, Lily found herself scanning the almost empty tavern. Other than Brianna, Kaylen, Sirius, Peter, Remus and herself, there were only about four other people, including the owner, who was serving drinks at the bar.  
  
Lily just opened her mouth to ask Remus what had happened to James when the entire bar went silent. Glancing up at her friends, Lily noticed that they were staring apprehensively at the doorway. Turning in her seat, Lily saw that James Potter had just entered the tavern. 


	5. A Story

"Damn," Remus muttered, staring down at the table. He looked like he was going to stand up and go to James, but Lily stopped him.  
  
"Don't," she said, putting a hand on his arm. "Let me."  
  
"Lily, no. There's something you don't know about," Remus protested as she pushed her chair back.  
  
"I know enough, Remus," she replied and he sat back heavily in his chair. "Don't worry; let me handle him. I'll be back." She walked towards the doorway where James stood, poised like an idiot. "You, outside, now," she said, shoving the door open. She didn't expect him to follow her so willingly, but when she got outside and turned around, he was right behind her.  
  
"What?" he asked, his tone considerably lighter than it had been an hour before when he assaulted them with snow on the way to the village. "Whatever you have to say, I'm pretty sure I won't want to hear it."  
  
"Don't be too sure," Lily replied in the same tone. "What the hell is going on, Potter? You never so much as gave me a nice look before, but as soon as Remus asks me out, you're all spiteful and horrid. What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing you would care about," James retorted, turning away. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, Evans. Just go back to your little boyfriend and don't worry about me." He turned to walk away but Lily grabbed his arm.  
  
"No! I want to know what's going on! You've been a complete jerk ever since Remus asked me out and I want to know why!" she cried, surprised at the fury within herself.  
  
"This is between Lupin and me."  
  
"Lupin and I," Lily corrected automatically. For a moment, it looked as though James was going to crack up laughing. Unfortunately the look faded as quickly as it came and was replaced with the same menacing face.  
  
"I'm not as stupid as people think I am, okay?" he snarled at her, his face dangerously close to hers. "I know where my priorities lay and I don't tread where I'm not supposed to."  
  
"Where is that?" Lily asked, almost frightened of the wild look in his eyes.  
  
"Ask Lupin," James snapped as he turned to leave. "I'm sure he'll be more than glad to tell you." With that, he stormed away through the snow. Watching him leave, Lily felt emotionally drained, like she had just run a marathon in her brain. Sighing heavily, she rejoined Remus in the tavern.  
"Are you okay?" he asked, standing up from his chair when she entered the room. "He didn't touch you, did he? If he laid a finger on you, I'll seriously hurt him."  
  
"I'm fine," Lily answered, sitting down, giggling at Remus' use of words. It was so characteristically like him to use a phrase like 'seriously hurt' rather than 'kill'. "But I think you and I have to have a serious chat when we get out of here."  
  
Remus nodded and Lily was ninety eight percent sure he knew what she was talking about. "Let's try to enjoy part of this date," he said, trying to be cheerful.  
  
"Good idea," Lily agreed, but Remus' tone startled her. It sounded like he was definite this would ever be the last date they would go on. Part of her wished this wasn't true, but another part, a secret, newfound part, couldn't keep her mind off of James Potter. He was rather cute when angrily provoked, she thought to herself. She kind of liked the way he leaned in towards her when he spoke, as though he didn't want her to miss a word.  
  
"Well, do you?" Remus' voice broke through her thoughts and she immediately felt guilty for thinking about James while on a date with Remus.  
  
"Do I what?" she asked apologetically, but Remus just smiled.  
  
"Trust me."  
  
"Of course!" she cried, indignantly. "If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't be sitting here now."  
  
"That's good to know," Remus said thoughtfully. He downed the rest of his drink. "Do you want another glass of water, or anything?" he asked, gesturing to Lily's empty mug.  
  
Glancing down, she was surprised to see that while she was in deep thought, she had drunk most of her water. Finishing the last bit, she said, "No, I'm good. Let's go outside."  
  
"Why outside?"  
  
"We have to talk, Remus."  
  
"I know, but it's cold outside."  
  
Lily laughed and stood up. Grabbing his hands, she pulled him up from the table so that he was face to face with her. For a solid minute, she stared into his eyes, wondering how she could ever think about James Potter while out with such a sensitive person. Shaking off the feeling, she turned towards the doorway. "We can still walk outside, you know. You won't melt in the snow."  
"How do you know?" Remus kidded as they exited the tavern. They walked across the path towards some of the other shops. Browsing through some of them, Lily found her mind wasn't really on shopping.  
  
"Let's go back to the castle," she said firmly, determined to find out what was happening once and for all.  
  
Remus looked shocked. "But Miss Evans, I hardly know you."  
  
"You're such a geek," she said, shoving him lightly. "I want to know what's happening with James and I don't think we should talk about it here."  
  
"Okay," Remus agreed reluctantly. "But we remain outside the common room."  
  
"Don't you trust me?"  
  
"I trust you," Remus replied, following her down the path that lead back to the school. "Sometimes, I don't trust myself."  
  
Lily deliberated over these words as they headed back to the castle. Her mind controlled her every move as she walked, self-consciously, beside the guy she had liked for as long as she could remember. Now that she knew he liked her too, she should have been ecstatic. Yet the startling look in James' eyes as he stared her down occupied her foremost thoughts. Upon reaching the castle, Lily led Remus to the library where they sat in silence for more than five minutes. She had been debating with herself since they left the village that maybe she should just tell Remus she wasn't feeling that good and go lie down instead of talking.  
  
"Lily, I'm not going to lie to you." This sentence captured her attention and she sat up promptly, staring defiantly into his eyes.  
  
"That's a good thing," she said softly.  
  
Remus shook his head and looked down. "I should have told you this from the beginning, but I didn't want you to think ill of me." He sighed heavily. "Okay, I have liked you since the day I laid eyes on you. My heart leapt every time we shared a smile or greeted each other. I felt so enthralled by your presence, Lily, that I felt there could be no one else for me."  
  
Lily was stunned, unable to speak. She knew Remus had feelings for her, but she never thought they could be this strong. She opened her mouth wordlessly, but Remus held up his hand.  
  
"I'm not through yet. Regrettably, James felt the same way. We usually joked about it, giggling when you walked by, saying to each other, 'There's your girlfriend.' But I never dreamt James would get so angry when I asked you out."  
"Didn't you think to ask him?" Lily asked before she could stop herself. Reflecting back on it, she realized what a dumb thing it was to say, but Remus didn't seem to notice.  
  
"What for?" he replied. "I was more of a friend to you than he was; why should I ask him if I could ask out my friend? Now, it would seem logical to at least warn him about it, but I can't turn back time." He emitted another heavy sigh. "What a mess. I wish I could do something."  
  
Lily's mind was divided. Half of it was a million miles away in James Potter's eyes. The other half was staring at Remus Lupin, the boy Lily had been crushing on for what seemed like forever. He was sitting here, right in front of her, looking so dejected that she could have hugged him. But she didn't. She restrained herself and, feeling awful, succumbed to the thoughts of a certain Potter boy.  
  
The pair of them was silent for many more moments before Remus spoke. "I had better go," he said, looking pained at the thought. He stood up, pushing his chair back lightly. Leaning back down towards Lily's face, she had visions of him kissing her in the middle of the library. What would she do? How would she react? What would she say? How should she respond?  
  
"Keep out of trouble," he whispered, touching her cheek gently. And before she could stop him, he turned and left the library in a flurry of robes. Resting her head in her hands on the desk, Lily felt emotionally exhausted. Nothing had really happened over the course of the day, but she felt like she had been chasing the Hogwarts Express in her mind for hours. Glancing up just in time, she managed to catch Kaylen and Brianna entering the library out of the corner of her eye.  
  
"Hey!" she yelled, receiving a rather nasty look from both the librarian and several angry students. "Kaylen! Brianna!" she called, her voice significantly quieter. The two girls took notice of her and rushed to her table.  
  
"Well?" Kaylen asked, taking the seat that had been deserted by Remus only seconds before. "How did it go? Did he kiss you?"  
  
"Are you pregnant yet?" Brianna kidded and Lily gave her a scathing look.  
  
"Yes, Brianna, I am. Right here on this very table," she replied and Brianna leaned back from the table.  
  
"Seriously," Kaylen continued, ignoring Brianna. "Did he kiss you? What did you two leave for? I thought you were going to come sit with us or something. I didn't think that you were going to be in the Three Broomsticks."  
  
"Nor did I," Lily replied, her mind still filled with a mix of James Potter and Remus Lupin. "We left because we wanted to talk about James."  
"Oh no," breathed Kaylen, completely caught up in the drama. "What did he say?"  
  
"He told me what I already know. That James and he both liked me for a long time and that he didn't think James would get so mad that he asked me out."  
  
"Well obviously he didn't think that," Brianna piped up, eyeing a group of seventh-years that had just entered the library. "Remus isn't the type to hurt a friend, even for a girl. Excuse me, ladies, but there's a boy over there with my name on him." She left the table, not taking her eyes off the other group.  
  
"She's been so boring," drawled Kaylen, watching her go. "I was going to kill her if she made her silly eyes at another boy." She looked back at Lily expectantly. "Other than that, how was it? And you never answered my question: did he kiss you?"  
  
"It was okay," Lily replied slowly, thinking of James' looming face in front of her. "Remus is a really sweet guy and one day he's going to make a wonderful husband. No, he didn't kiss me. But I thought he was going to." Lily's lips contorted into a soft smile. James had been that close to her face, too. 


	6. Is It True?

Lily left for Christmas break with a heavy heart. She and Remus had continued with their study sessions, but didn't have any more dates for lack of Hogsmeade visits. Lily dreaded going home to her awful sister, Petunia, and her harebrained boyfriend, Vernon Dursley. The two of them were inseparable and had been for as long as Lily could remember.  
  
Petunia hated 'Lily's kind', whatever that meant. Lily enjoyed chanting nonsense words to Petunia, watching her face pale and her grope for Vernon's hand. There was nothing in the world more that Lily wanted, rather than to prove herself to her sister. Petunia was always so prim and proper and Lily ached to bring home a friend from the wizarding world, particularly a boyfriend, to frighten Petunia and Vernon into leaving her alone. Chances of that happening were slim to none, for this was Lily's last year at Hogwarts and asking Remus home for the holidays didn't seem like such a good idea, what with James acting the childish brat that he could so often be.  
  
James hadn't spoken nearly as bitterly towards Lily since that day in Hogsmeade. Believing it to be the work of her own backbone, Lily felt somewhat proud that she had frightened James into being nice to her. Whenever he would walk by her in the hallway, he would bow grandly and say, "Good day to you, Miss Lily Evans." Besides feeling exceedingly embarrassed, Lily couldn't help but feel her heart flutter every time he did it.  
  
Much to Lily's joy, the Christmas vacation passed quickly. Vernon's family was leaving the day after Christmas to go to the Bahamas, so Lily was free of him for New Year's Eve. Petunia spent so much time in her room pining for her beloved Vernon that she barely noticed Lily was home. This suited Lily fine. She enjoyed spending the spare time with her parents, who drilled her with curious questions about her school, the train ride that she took, her studies and her friends.  
  
"Any boyfriends yet?" her father chortled as they began to prepare for Boxing Day supper.  
  
Lily blushed as her mother scolded her father for bringing such an idea into her head. "She's much too young yet, Harold. Don't give her any ideas." Cupping Lily's face in her hands, she told her daughter, "Lily, don't ever be in a hurry to grow up. It will never get you anywhere."  
  
And it was with these words in mind that Lily boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time of the New Year, with a much lighter heart than her last trip. The first person that greeted her was Brianna, decked to the nines with fancy clothing and jewellery.  
  
"Mother and Father spent our savings on me this year!" she crowed and Lily simply smiled. It hadn't occurred to her how snobby and stuck up Brianna was becoming. But she was okay with that, because Kaylen was her best friend. She searched desperately for Kaylen as Brianna continued to chat about her Christmas, including several cute boys from home that she had been dying to bring back to school to show off.  
  
"You'll never guess who I saw," Kaylen said when Lily finally scouted her out and they exchanged greetings. "James Potter and Remus Lupin! In Diagon Alley the day before yesterday! They were talking, laughing and having a good time."  
  
Lily felt relieved that they were getting along again, but couldn't help feeling a little put out. She was the only girl in her dorm that came from a Muggle family and she often missed out on events such as seeing friends in Diagon Alley while doing Christmas shopping. Laughing, she pictured the look on Petunia's face if she had tried to bring her shopping in Diagon Alley.  
  
The train rolled into the station and a rain that strongly resembled sleet drizzled from the grey sky. Climbing out of her compartment, Lily stretched. Riding the train was great, but you didn't want to stand up too long or else someone else would steal your seat.  
  
"Oh no," Kaylen groaned as she climbed off the train. "Lucius Malfoy." She stood back as a white haired, superior looking boy passed by them, a triumphant look on his face.  
  
"I've never seen him before," Lily said, watching him march up and down the platform. She instantly didn't like him, but was willing to at least be civil.  
  
"You don't want to know him," Kaylen replied. "He's one of the last purebloods left in a long line of stuck-up wizards and witches. And he's greedy and slick, too. Never trust him or anyone like him. If you had gold teeth and you fell asleep with your mouth open, he would no doubt steal them."  
  
Lily giggled at the mental image before following Kaylen up to the carriages that would take them back to the castle. She smiled as the looming building came into view, happy to be back where she truly considered home.  
  
It was difficult trying to catch up on her work for the next few weeks. All of her studying sessions with Remus were postponed as she struggled to make her way forth. Finally, three weeks after vacation had ended, she met Remus in the library for a recap on Transfiguration.  
  
"Happy Christmas, and Happy New Year," Remus said as Lily sat beside him. Grinning, she opened her books.  
  
"Same to you. Did you have a good holiday?"  
  
"About as good as can be when, well, yes it was good."  
  
Lily wanted to ask why he hesitated, but she went against the instinct, also deciding against asking about James. If it were to be told, it would be done so in good time. They began to discuss certain aspects of Transfiguration for quite some time before Lily found herself looking up into Remus' eyes.  
  
"I missed you," he told her in a soft voice. "It just didn't seem the same without you around."  
  
"I missed you, too," she confessed. "I was going to ask you to come home with me for the holidays, but I didn't think it would be appropriate."  
  
"I wish you had of," he said, looking back down at his work. "My family hasn't been the same since, well, they haven't been the same for a long time."  
  
Curiosity peaked in Lily's brain, but she maintained her inquisitiveness, instead choosing to ask if Remus would join her on the next trip to Hogsmeade. "Professor Dumbledore told me that it will be just before Valentine's Day," she said.  
  
"I would love to," Remus replied, but he didn't look as happy as Lily would have liked. For the rest of the session, he kept fairly quiet, only becoming talkative when discussing school. They dispersed soon after and Lily hurried back to the common room to seek out Kaylen. However, just around the corner from Gryffindor tower, she ran headlong into James Potter. Straightening herself up, she greeted him with a bright hello.  
  
"Good day, Evans," he said, nodding slightly. The chilly tone in his voice that had been there the last time they exchanged words was gone and Lily found herself staring into his caring eyes. "How was your vacation?"  
  
"Good," Lily said, looking down. "And you?"  
  
"Great," James replied. "Sirius came with me; he left home a while back and has been living with me in between the school year."  
  
"That's nice," Lily stated genuinely. "Well, I had better go." Her heart was pounding and she didn't want to let on how she was feeling.  
  
"Good talking to you. Take care," James told her before walking away. Hiding her excited squeals, Lily dashed up the stairs to the tower where she found Kaylen and Brianna holding a rather loud conversation.  
  
"You're wrong," Kaylen said firmly, standing from her chair in front of the fire. "Whatever you heard, Brianna, its wrong."  
  
Brianna was sitting calmly in the chair beside the one Kaylen had just abandoned. "Whatever you say," she said, shrugging casually. "I know what I heard and I think you should warn her." Her eyes were diverted by Lily's entrance and the smug look on her face vanished. Glancing at Kaylen, Lily saw her shaking her head furtively at Brianna.  
  
"Lily!" Kaylen cried, walking towards her friend. "How did it go?"  
  
"Fine," Lily said warily, glancing at the two of her friends.  
  
"How romantic," quipped Brianna. There was a note of concern as well as supremacy in her voice. "Kaylen, if you don't tell her, I will."  
  
"You won't!" Kaylen cried, giving Brianna a dirty look. "Lily, let's go to the dorm." She began to ascend the stairs with Lily close behind her.  
  
"You can run, but I live in the same dorm as you!" Brianna called, her voice floating up the stairs to meet them. "She's going to find out eventually, Kaylen!"  
  
Once in the privacy of their dorm, Lily slammed the door. "What's going on?" she hissed at Kaylen, who looked somewhat taken aback.  
  
"With what?" Kaylen said, sitting on her bed, examining the patterns on her bedspread.  
  
"With Brianna."  
  
"Oh, her." Kaylen went quiet for a few seconds before giving a sharp laugh. "She heard somewhere that Remus Lupin was a werewolf. Not that she believes it," she added quickly upon seeing the look on Lily's face.  
  
"That's ridiculous!" Lily cried. "Where did she hear that from?"  
  
Looking down at her bedspread again, Kaylen looked almost ashamed. "She 'overheard' James and Sirius talking."  
  
"Well, they're lying." Lily's voice was defiant. "Remus is not a werewolf. After all, I think he would have told me. We'll be going on our second date soon!"  
  
"You made another date?" Kaylen asked excitedly, her face suddenly looking happier. "What are you doing this time?"  
  
"Hogsmeade again. But that's not important!" Lily felt herself becoming frustrated with everything and everyone around her. The prospect of being alone with Remus so close to Valentine's Day, James Potter's impulsive appearances, the fact that two of her best friends at school were keeping such strict information from her, plus all of her schoolwork was just becoming too much for her. "If Brianna doesn't believe what James and Sirius said, then why was she so adamant that someone tell me."  
  
"I think she's just worried that you'll get hurt somewhere down the line," Kaylen replied, looking more than guilty.  
  
"You believe it, don't you." It was more of a statement than a question and Kaylen's wavering eyes confirmed it. "You're supposed to be my best friend, Kaylen!  
  
"I am!" Kaylen exclaimed standing up. "But you have to admit that he is pretty strange, Lily. Not that I don't like him, but he does disappear during the full moon of the month. We saw him leave through that secret tunnel one night."  
  
"James, Peter and Sirius also left; does that mean that they're werewolves, too?" Lily asked bitterly. She turned away from Kaylen angrily. "I just can't believe you would take Brianna's side!"  
  
"I haven't taken her side, Lily! I just don't want you to get hurt."  
  
"I won't," Lily said, her voice insolent. "I have to go now. I can't be around someone who doesn't trust my boyfriend!" With that, she stormed out of the dorm and down the spiral staircase towards the portrait hole. Furious with herself for stooping to Kaylen and Brianna's level, but surprised at herself for calling Remus her boyfriend, Lily soon found herself outside the castle, heading towards the water. She was unsure of where to go, but she knew she would have to meet up with Remus at some point.  
  
No more than five minutes after she had heaved herself at the ground, sobbing heavily, footsteps approached behind her. "Go away," she said determinedly, almost positive that the footsteps belonged to Kaylen.  
  
"Okay," came the voice and Lily turned.  
  
"Oh, Remus! I'm sorry; I didn't realize it was you." She wiped the few remaining tears out of her eyes. "I thought it was Kaylen or Brianna."  
  
"Can I sit down?" Remus' voice was soft, yet unyielding. Lily nodded and he sat close to her on the ground. "What's the matter? Did you and Kaylen have a fight?"  
  
"More like I had a fight with myself." Lily shook her head, her eyes filling with tears again. "I absolutely hate fighting with my friends! I don't have many to begin with, so I don't want to alienate the ones that I do have!"  
  
"I'm your friend." He lifted her chin with his hand. "You'll still have me." He smiled gently. "What was the fight about?"  
  
She found she couldn't turn away. She was tired of sneaking. "Brianna heard you were a werewolf."  
  
Something in Remus' eyes flickered. He turned away from her, staring out over the water. Without words, Lily knew that it was true. Feeling she should back away, she found she couldn't. It was as if she were rooted to the ground.  
  
"Don't be mad," he said. "And please don't hate me."  
  
"I'm not mad at you! I just wish you had told me!"  
  
"If I told you earlier, Lily, would you have stayed my friend?"  
  
She sat up on her knees eagerly. "Yes. What you are doesn't change what I feel for you! Besides," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "I've heard rumours that Severus Snape is a vampire. So really, we're just a mix here."  
  
Remus laughed. "So you still want to go to Hogsmeade with me?"  
  
"Of course!"  
  
He nodded. "Good. I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before, but I thought I would have scared you away."  
  
"I don't think much could scare me away," Lily said, standing up, pulling Remus to his feet. "But I do have to go talk to Kaylen." The two of them headed off towards the castle, Lily in the lead. She felt satisfied, but something odd was picking at her brain. Even after she left Remus in the common room, bidding him a goodnight, she felt unhappy, like something wasn't resolved yet. Upstairs, Kaylen was already asleep, so Lily went to bed herself, determined to speak with Kaylen in the morning. 


	7. Midnight

Lily spilled the whole story of the night before to Kaylen the next morning. "So you were right in believing Brianna," Lily said with a heavy heart. "I'm really sorry."  
  
"Don't be!" Kaylen cried, grasping her friend's hand. "The next Hogsmeade trip has been set for February 14th! We have much planning to do for your big Valentine's date!"  
  
The days flew by and Lily managed to avoid both Brianna and James for the most part. She was happy with her life. Remus was as sweet as any guy could be and Kaylen adored helping Lily pick out her wardrobe for her date. Once again, clothing was strewn across the dorm room as the girls went through every article of clothing they both owned. Lily also managed to keep up with her Transfiguration lessons and with time, she was improving noticeably. Before she knew it, Valentine's Day had arrived and the three girls were getting ready in the dorm.  
  
"Have fun today," Brianna told Lily as she walked out the door. Lily just shook her head. She knew Brianna meant well, but no matter what the context of the conversation was, Brianna could make it sound harsh.  
  
"Ignore her," Kaylen said, happily preparing for the day. "Seriously, do have fun, be careful and don't do anything I wouldn't do."  
  
"And that leaves what?" Lily joked, ducking from Kaylen's pillow. "I'll meet you back here tonight."  
  
"No, you won't," Kaylen replied. "Don't you remember? All the seventh years get to stay at Hogsmeade for the entire night. We're coming back tomorrow morning. How could you forget?"  
  
"Lots on my mind," Lily answered, her mind far away. "Well, I'm sure I'll see you sometime while we're there."  
  
"Have fun!" Kaylen whispered as Lily left the room. She met Remus in the common room and they departed from the others, paying no attention to James' stares.  
  
Lily had more fun this time than she did the last. They visited as many shops as possible, buying more than they probably should have. "I booked a room in the Three Broomsticks, upstairs," Remus told her as they left Honeydukes. "Technically, its two rooms, but joined together by a door."  
  
Lily could only nod. Her heart was pounding. No matter how mature and responsible she wanted to be, she still felt she was too young to be left in the village all night long, almost by herself. Remus noticed her silence and took it for fear. "Don't worry," he told her reassuringly. "I won't try any of that fresh stuff." He moved closer to her. "Unless you want me to, of course."  
  
She laughed at the goofball face he was making. "If I come home pregnant," she warned him, "my parents might have to kill you."  
  
"That's a risk I'm willing to take," he said jokingly. "So where to next, Miss Evans?"  
  
She shrugged. Looking up at the sky, she noted that it was getting darker. Several stars had already begun to appear and the moon was slowly making its way into the night sky. At least we'll have the light from the full moon tonight, she thought as they walked arm and arm through the village. Coming to rest at the foot of the grassy hill, they took a moment's rest, basking in the precious few days they had of warmer weather.  
  
"I'm kind of glad the snow's gone," Remus said, looking around him at the grass. "I always want it to snow for Christmas, but once New Years is over, I kind of wish the snow would just disappear."  
  
"Without the slushy mess," Lily chimed in. "Snow for Christmas, snow for New Years, then gone without a trace." She nodded and smiled. "Sounds nice." She felt Remus' hand tighten hers and she looked at him. He was smiling softly at her, his face moving closer in the beginning moonlight.  
  
He really is cute, she thought to herself as he moved closer. But just before his lips touched hers, they heard a cry. "Hey guys!"  
  
"Damn," Remus muttered, turning towards the sound. Brianna was marching towards them, a big smile on her face. Beside her was Kaylen, looking more embarrassed and upset than Lily had seen her in a long time.  
  
"I tried to stop her," Kaylen whispered as Brianna struck up a conversation with Remus on Transfiguration. "But you know how she is and what she's like. Everything has to be about her." She glared hatefully at Brianna and it occurred to Lily how different Brianna and Kaylen were. It had taken seven years for it to sink in but she finally clued in that all the snide comments and hateful remarks were actually sparks of hate. Thankfully, it was their last year and the two girls would be separated before one ended up killing the other in her sleep.  
  
"Thanks so much for clearing that up," Brianna giggled. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Remus."  
  
"Good to know," Kaylen said, pulling Brianna away by the arm. "We'll catch you guys around. Sorry for bothering you."  
  
"You weren't bothering us!" Lily called after them. Then she added in a quiet tone, "Brianna was."  
  
"She's something else," Remus said, looking after Brianna and Lily felt a surge of jealousy. Desperately she searched for something to bring attention back to herself.  
  
"She can be," she said, hopping up on the picnic table someone had set out on the property. "But so can I."  
  
"I don't doubt it," Remus said smiling at her. Casually, he glanced up at the sky. "Oh my god! Lily I think we should get back to the Three Broomsticks!"  
  
"Why?" Lily began to panic at the sound of fright in Remus' voice. "It's not late; we still have plenty of time."  
  
"It's not that." Remus was becoming more visibly panicky with each passing moment. "I just think that, well, it's nearing midnight."  
  
"Is it really?" Lily was amazed at how quickly time could pass with Remus by her side. She started to tell him so, but stopped when he began pulling her by the arm.  
  
"Let's go. Now!" he hollered when she protested. Silently she followed him, startled by the urgency in his voice. But as they neared the inn doorway, she realized why.  
  
His face began to contort. Looking like he was in serious pain, she started to scream as she watched him transform into a fully-grown werewolf. Backing up against the wall of the tavern, she searched desperately for a sign of help. But the village streets were deserted and the werewolf that was standing on the spot occupied by Remus only moments ago began to approach her.  
  
Screaming as loudly as she could, Lily was certain that she was going to die. Thinking of how pleased Petunia would be when she caught the news that her sister had been killed by a fellow student who just happened to be a werewolf, Lily prepared to feel the fangs sinking into her skin.  
  
But no such pain came. Instead, she looked up to see James Potter holding his wand out, no more than fifteen feet away. He had frozen the werewolf in his position of readying to attack Lily. She let out a heavy sob and collapsed to the ground by the wall of the tavern, feeling James walk by her.  
  
"He'll turn back soon," he muttered before he entered the tavern. "And he'll be fine." His footsteps echoed as he walked away and Lily found herself running back to the castle as fast as she could. Scared more of herself than of Remus, she ran up to Gryffindor tower and up to her empty dorm room. Silently, she threw herself on her bed and fell into an immediate sleep. 


	8. Forever

"Where were you?" Kaylen asked the next afternoon at lunch. All the seventh years had returned from Hogsmeade, eager to discuss their adventures with the jealous fifth and sixth years.  
  
"I came back," Lily said, poking food around her plate. She hadn't seen Remus yet that day, but she was eager to. She could picture his face full of guilt and she wanted to assure him that it wasn't his fault. She should have paid closer attention when she saw the full moon dawning. She should have known that the full moon was going to be that night. So should someone else, though. Why hadn't Dumbledore or someone warned Remus that there would be a full moon and he shouldn't go to Hogsmeade?  
  
Kaylen looked sad. "I guess the date didn't go too well then?"  
  
"It went okay. I was just tired and wanted to come back." Lily wasn't too open to discussing the incident. She had passed James Potter in the corridor that morning and he had only smiled, not saying a word about saving her life. She didn't know how to thank him so she simply smiled, sure that her gesture said it all for her.  
  
The day wore on and Lily spent much of it in a stupor. She searched the castle hallways at least once every two hours or so in search of Remus, but to no avail. It seemed he had disappeared off the face of the planet. No one had seen or heard from him. Kaylen tried to persuade Lily into going to his dorm room to look for him, but Lily wasn't that eager to find him. Instead, she waited around impatiently in the common room for him to walk through the door.  
  
That evening, Lily went to bed early, as she did most Sundays. She wanted to get an early start in the morning, giving her time to prepare for her first class, which contained Remus. But something awoke her around the hour of two in the morning. What it was, she could not say. Instead, she got up silently and made her way down the staircase and out the common room portrait hole. Feeling that she needed some fresh air, she headed towards the grassy lawn and up the hill towards the water.  
  
A dark figure already occupied the place she was seeking so she tried to reroute her path before noticing who the figure was. "Remus?"  
  
He looked up. Underneath his eyes were dark circles and he looked more tired and worn out than Lily had ever seen him. She was pretty sure that transforming into a werewolf took a lot of energy, but this was something else. She dropped to the ground beside him, lifting his face to meet hers. "What happened?"  
  
"I didn't sleep much the other night," he confessed. "And I'm not tired now."  
  
"Remus, you should really get some sleep," she chastised him softly. "You'll be exhausted tomorrow."  
  
"You're right. But I feel guilty."  
"About what?"  
  
He looked at her like she had three heads. "I almost attacked you, Lily. If James hadn't shown up, I don't know what would have happened.  
  
"Although I did think I had hurt you when I was unfrozen and saw you were gone. James told me when I entered the tavern that you had run back to the castle." He dropped his head. "Lily, I'm so sorry."  
  
"Don't be," she emphasized. "It's not your fault."  
  
"I should have known better," he continued, not paying much attention to her. "Dumbledore said he'd only let me go if I promised to go into the Shrieking Shack before the full moon was in complete view. But I lost track of time." He looked up again. "I love being with you, Lily. You're like a fresh of breath air into my dull life. And I'm sorry to endanger you the way I did."  
  
"The Shrieking Shack?" Lily's mind was whirling. "Why the Shrieking Shack?"  
  
Remus sighed. "Lily, there's so much I have to tell you, but I'll give you the short version. James, Peter, Sirius and I are like brothers. We call ourselves the Marauders. Anyway, we have a map, one that we devised that shows every escape route out of Hogwarts, including one into the building in Hogsmeade, known as the Shrieking Shack. Each month, I go there to transform."  
  
"That's where you were going!" Lily said thoughtfully. Seeing Remus' curious face, she continued, "Kaylen and I were out for a late night stroll one evening and saw you going down a secret passageway. We didn't know where it led, but soon after we saw the rest of the Marauders following."  
  
Remus nodded slowly. "Right. That passageway leads to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade through underground. When I told the others how I was a werewolf, they decided to make a change to better themselves so they could join me every month in the Shrieking Shack while I transformed."  
  
"What did they do?" Lily asked, almost afraid.  
  
"They became Animagi."  
  
Silence reigned following this comment. "But that's really hard to do," Lily finally said, in shock. "Only the greatest witches and wizards can do it. And the Ministry has a record of all Animagi. Is it really possible?"  
  
"It is and they did it," Remus said, smiling at the memories. Peter turned into a rat, Sirius into a black dog, and James into a stag. Werewolves only attack humans, not other animals." Once again, Remus' face became still as stone as he remembered the events from the previous night. "Lily, I'm really sorry."  
  
"Don't be," she repeated. "I told you, it wasn't your fault."  
  
"Do you care about me?" he asked suddenly and Lily was taken aback.  
  
"Yes," she eventually answered. "A lot."  
  
"Then will you do me a favour?"  
  
"It depends on what it is, Remus."  
  
He sighed. "I care about you, too, Lily, so this is going to be really difficult. I don't think we should see each other anymore. Don't take this offensively, but I'm a threat to you. I don't think it's wise that we're around each other anymore."  
  
"What?" Lily felt anger rage into her brain. "Remus, I can handle you not wanting me to be your girlfriend anymore, but losing our friendship? That I can't handle."  
  
"Lily, you're missing the point. I do want you to be my girlfriend, but I just don't think it's a good idea. I'm willing to keep our friendship, for that, too, is very dear to me. Besides, James really likes you."  
  
"I thought you liked me."  
  
"I do, Lily, that's just the point."  
  
"Then why are you trying to pawn me off on James?" Lily felt hurt and confused by all that was going on. In the last few minutes she felt she had learned more than she had in the entire year.  
  
"I care about you, Lily, and I don't want to hurt you. Physically or emotionally."  
  
"So you figure if you get me to go out with James, I'll stop hanging around you and my life won't be in danger?"  
  
"Well, I wouldn't have said it that way, but kind of." Remus smiled to show he was joking. "Lily, you'll have to understand. I do care about you and I have for a long time. That's why I think it's best if we take things slow. In a few years, if things are still strong, then sure, I'll take the chance. But for now, I think it's better we stay friends."  
  
Lily stayed silent. She wasn't angry; no, she was far from angry. She completely understood the fact that Remus was looking out for her safety. But she felt guilty for not feeling all that bad. The prospect of dating someone as exciting and hyped up as James Potter gave her a start of electricity. She turned away from the glistening water and stared at Remus.  
  
"Maybe you're right," she said slowly. "I know you mean well and I can't tell you how much these past few weeks have meant to me."  
  
"I know," Remus said, sitting up proudly. "I'm a work of art."  
  
Lily giggled and shoved him. "You're such a geek! Come on, it's getting cold outside; let's go in." She stood up and extended her hands to help him up. Instead of pulling himself off the ground, he gently pulled her close to him.  
  
"Friends?" he asked, staring deep into her eyes. Her face was only inches from his and he could see everything she felt inside through her eyes.  
  
"Friends," she confirmed. "Forever." 


End file.
